Short History of Baseball

Yankees vs. Mummies
The Mills Commission was a group created to determine the “paternity” of baseball. As previously stated, it concluded that Abner Doubleday did, indeed, invent baseball.
Well, with all due respect to the Commission, Abner may have invented American baseball, but the cry of “batter up” was probably first been heard around 4,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia.
We weren’t there for Opening Day, but we hear that the ancient Egyptians are the earliest people to have fooled around with bats and balls. Pharaohs played seker-hemat, which is loosely translated as “batting the ball.” We surmise they used their priests as catchers. Who else would have the patience to endure getting “nailed” by King Tut’s wild pitches
day after day?
The game may have been different, but the “heart” was the same. Baseball, then and now, reminds us of “renewal” each spring. We can identify with, and are inspired by the achievements of baseballs’ heroic figures. Consequently, baseball has become a conduit for national and even political loyalty.
Did you think baseball was just about strikes and balls? Think again.
It’s the stuff that dreams – and Fields of Dreams – are made of.
Sidebar: More than Just a Game Batting the ball was part of religious ceremonies in Egypt…and perhaps that’s the origin of our “religion” of baseball! On the other hand, maybe the Egyptians invented the “other” baseball game-the one played in England. Since they loved beetles, bugs, and scarabs, and even made jewelry out of them, doesn’t it make sense they would have invented a game called…CRICKET!

This story is an excerpt from: “Betcha Didn’t Know That! 101 Antiques and Collectibles Trivia Tips That Can Make You Rich, Famous, and Hit of the Party, Volume One” by Leon Castner and Brian Kathenes

This article borrowed with permission from my friends Leon Castner and Brian Kathenes